The Dawn of Eternal Summers is being released by a small record company whose name starts with K. This is as it should be. Surprisingly, that company is not Kill Rock Stars or K Records, two venerable labels that specialize in the kind of sound Eternal Summers make (i.e., unadorned, jangly indie/punk rock with an autumnal, lived-in feel). Dawn collects EP, 7-inch, and cover-song flotsam from the early days of the still-young Virginia band, and the lion's share of the material radiates a ridiculously gratifying sense of charm. Summers' songs feel like they come from 13-year-olds who wrote or learned a bunch of tunes at summer camp and are now performing them on a makeshift stage on the last evening that everyone's together — a time when the kids are both enjoying a last blast of fun and sharing choked-up goodbyes. There's even a poignant moment for their version of Guided By Voices' "A Salty Salute." The band doesn't do anything fundamentally fresh with the tender, pop-derived song, but at the same time, Eternal Summers execute their music with such sincerity and care that you'll probably feel nostalgic for it as soon as Dawn concludes.

La Sera | Sees The Light Sees the Light, the second album from this side project of Vivian Girls' Katy Goodman, is a surprisingly difficult album to review.

Alabama Shakes | Boys & Girls In 2012, every other mainstream female pop singer is trying her hand at honest-to-God soul, shooting stylistically for Aretha Franklin (by way of Adele's 21) but usually winding up closer to early-Nelly Furtado.

Madonna | MDNA There was a time in the mid-'90s when it seemed that Madonna was finally acting her age: with the 1994 release of "I'll Remember" and the subsequent greatest-ballads collection Something To Remember, it seemed as if the Material Girl was resigned to a lifetime of mature songcraft and age-appropriate jams that would serve her well into her 50s and beyond.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives | Throw It To the Universe While many Britpop fans spent the late 90s onward hoping with that Oasis would pull something out of the cabinet that came close to Definitely Maybe or (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, they should've been expanding their sonic range farther west to Sweden, where the Soundtrack of Our Lives have been rolling out some of the genre's finest compositions.

Various Artists | Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 The notion that regional musical flavors exist independently in American cities is quickly becoming an archaic truism, seeing as how the world really is a stage these days, at least in the digital sense.

Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo Look, I get it: the last thing we need right now is yet another band who can be described as “sun-baked,” “reverb-soaked,” or even just “psychedelic.” But Avi Buffalo (I know! An animal name to boot!) are worth your attention for a few reasons.

KT Tunstall | Tiger Suit The KT Tunstall of Tiger Suit is tougher, louder, and more electronically endowed than the KT Tunstall of its poppy predecessor, 2007's Drastic Fantastic , and Eye to the Telescope three years before that.

The Sounds | Something To Die For The recent news that British electronic act Faithless have called it a day no doubt left dejected ravers reaching for extra MDMA to stave off the tears.

NO REST FOR BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD | March 13, 2013 Blackbird Blackbird's 2012 EP Boracay Planet takes its name from two sources: Boracay — a beach-filled, postcard-perfect island in the Philippines — and a dream Mikey Maramag had about the tourist trap, despite never having visited.

THE LUMINEERS AIM FOR THE RAFTERS | February 01, 2013 Jeremiah Fraites isn't famous — at least not yet. The drummer of the Lumineers, the folk trio who experienced an outrageously fruitful 2012, is talking to me two days before appearing on the January 19 Saturday Night Live, but he doesn't sound convinced that his band have crossed the fame threshold.

PHANTOM GLUE COME INTO FOCUS | January 23, 2013 Variations of "nightmarish" and "psychedelic" come up repeatedly as Matt Oates describes his band's work — which makes sense, given that Phantom Glue trace their roots back to Slayer, the Jesus Lizard, and cult post-hardcore act KARP.